The present invention relates to an apparatus for closing containers. Such apparatuses have long been known from the prior art. In production facilities for producing beverage containers, it is customary to fill these containers with a beverage and then to close said containers with a closure, such as a screw cap or else a crown cap for example.
In many sectors there are special conditions, for example when bottling juices. For instance, it is necessary for the entire treatment of the containers and also the closing thereof to be carried out within a sterile chamber or clean chamber. For the closing process, in some cases a longitudinal movement of a closing head relative to a longitudinal direction of the containers is also necessary. Since it is usually not desirable to place all the elements necessary for such a longitudinal movement in the interior of the sterile chamber, since this runs counter to keeping it sterile, endeavours are made to place as many drive elements as possible outside the sterile chamber. However, due to the stroke conditions of the closing element which are necessary in a closing machine, the situation occurs whereby the unsterile machine parts located outside the sterile chamber or below a carrying ring protrude into the sterile area or move into the sterile chamber. In this way, germs can reach the sterile area.
The prior art discloses various apparatuses for achieving a separation between sterile and unsterile areas even in the case of elements which can move in this way. For instance, in some cases a water lock or a vapour barrier is provided in order to bring about such sealing. However, due to the large stroke and the thermal loading of the component, these sealing means can be used only to a limited extent or are difficult to implement. The object of the present invention is therefore to provide an apparatus for closing containers which is also able to cope with relatively large stroke movements.